Treatment for Kids & Teens: Anorexia & Bulimia
Early Intervention & Treatment = Positive Outcome
Congratulations on your decision to seek resources and/or treatment for your child or teen.
Learning that your child is struggling with a potential eating disorder or body-image issue can be both frightening and daunting for a parent. We commend you for acting quickly and for looking into treatment options for your child or teen.
Research consistently indicates that early intervention and treatment is a strong predictor of a positive treatment outcome. Therefore, whether seeking therapeutic and nutritional services at A New Beginning or another eating disorder specialty treatment facility, we encourage you to engage in early and specialized care.
Eating Disorder Trends: Younger Children & Teens
It is a sad reality, consistently cited in recent research statistics and seen within our A New Beginning treatment center, that there is a growing trend toward the development and diagnosis of eating disorders in increasingly younger children and boys.
Historically, eating disorders most typically affected teen-aged girls, aged 13-17 years old. In recent years, however, the average age of onset for an eating disorder has decreased to an average age of 9-13 years old.
Exposure to dieting, social media, and pre-adolescent pressure to be “attractive and thin,” is trickling down to vulnerable pre-teens and children, as well as to young boys.
If your child is displaying signs of an eating disorder or dieting behavior, we suggest scheduling an assessment with a mental health professional who can determine if this problematic behavior warrants a formal diagnosis of an eating disorder and/or needs treatment. Luckily, early treatment is the best predictor of a complete and lasting full recovery from all eating disorders (anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating disorder).
Family Involvement for Effective Treatment
Family involvement is an important component of a positive treatment outcome.
A New Beginning supports fully a family’s need to have active and knowledgeable input regarding the care and treatment of their adolescent and/or child.
As a result, our treatment team requests that families of children aged 16 years and under engage in an appropriate level of therapeutic involvement which integrates them into their child’s overall treatment experience. A minimum of 3 family therapy sessions is, therefore, an important and required component of treatment for anyone 16 years and younger. The exact structure and format of these 3 family sessions will be individually recommended and discussed as part of your child’s treatment plan.
Comprehensive Treatment Options: Anorexia & Bulimia
As part of your child’s comprehensive treatment, our eating disorder team may utilize one or more of the following research-based therapeutic techniques to help your child successfully overcome their disordered eating:
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Interpersonal Therapy (IPT)
- RO-DBT Skills
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
- Family-Based Treatment (FBT) / Maudsley
- Experiential / Expressive Therapy
- Family-of-Origin / Bowenian Therapy
- EMDR
- Group Therapy
- Couple and/or Family Therapy
- Nutrition Therapy (with our eating disorder Registered Dietitian, Brandi Koch, RD)
Thank you for trusting our team with your most precious family member! We value immensely your confidence in our treatment, kindness and care.
